I have a female friend that I seem to becoming increasingly close to, and we now spend quite a lot of time together. It hasn't 'crossed over' into becoming a romantic relationship, but I certainly wouldn't rule this out, despite us both having reason to be cautious. However, there's one thing that makes me wonder if I'm misguided: I don't think I've ever known a woman to speak so frequently about her "ex". They are friends even though he left her over 15 years ago and he's now in a relationship, although she hasn't made any reference to any subsequent "ex". She refers to him in a matter of fact manner and I don't consider him any sort of 'rival'.

But this makes me inclined to ask ladies whether they feel that these frequent references to an 'ex' are likely to have a significance that I should take on board? In other words, if you felt close to someone new and had romantic aspirations, would you feel it's the right time to keep reminding them about a past partner'? I certainly wouldn't but perhaps it's something that women view differently.